Update 5:07 p.m. — Final. Sounders FC 2, Real Salt Lake 1. Seattle has clinched a berth in the Desert Diamond Cup final next Saturday with the win. Mario Martinez scored a brilliant opener in the 66th minute, a left-footed volley that curled inside the post (sound familiar?). Remember, the Sounders traded a conditional draft pick to RSL for Martinez’s rights. Philip Lund scored the game winner on a rebound. Might that earn the trialist a contract? Salt Lake pressured hard in the end to pull a goal back, and nearly found and equalizer. Seattle’s first-choice defense still hasn’t allowed a goal in preseason.

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I’m not sure if I’ll be able to host a live chat during today’s 3 p.m. game in the Desert Diamond Cup between Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake.

I’ll actually be out of town for part of this long weekend, perhaps the last chance for a quick break before the nine-month season starts.